What About Now
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: This is a Gibbs/Abby story that starts off in the 'Enemy on a Hill' episode, where Abby finds out she's adopted, but it branches off from that, with a bit of a backstory as to why it's so awkward for Abby to spend the night at Gibbs' house. After all is said and done, will they be together? Will Abby even be at NCIS anymore? Two-shot, now COMPLETE!
1. What If Our Love Had Never Went Away

**This two-shot is kinda taken from the episode that Abby finds out she's adopted and has a brother by blood out there, I think it's called Enemies On The Hill. Anyways, this is GAbby angst in the beginning, but there might be a happy ending on the horizon.**

**Enjoy!**

_Shadows fill an empty heart_

_As love is fading_

_From all the things that we are_

_But are not saying_

_Can we see beyond the scars_

_And make it to the dawn?_

"_I-I don't even know who I am…"_

Abby had ended up falling asleep in his arms that night, and Gibbs carefully carried her to the guest bedroom, tucking her in and kissing her forehead. He went downstairs to work on his boat and those words haunted him. Abby was Abby, there was no other explanation for it. Her past made her who she was, and now that past was a complete lie, at least in her eyes. Her brother wasn't really her brother by blood, and neither were her parents, her grandparents, none of them. And now that she had found her brother by blood, she didn't know what to do, and he didn't blame her. But it was killing him to know that she was second-guessing everything about herself.

Abby was Abby, and nothing could ever change that about her if he could help it.

In the morning, Gibbs woke to the smell of breakfast. He lifted his head and realized that he had fallen asleep in his boat, but he didn't know where the pillow and blanket came from. Then again, where was the breakfast smell coming from?

Oh. Abby.

He got to his feet and stretched, starting up the stairs and seeing Abby in the kitchen. "I'm surprised I had anything for you to use," He commented, and Abby jumped nearly a foot in the air, whipping around to see who was there. Gibbs put his hands up in surrender and said, "Whoa there Abbs, calm down, it's just me."

"You scared the crap out of me, Gibbs," Abby complained, turning back around with her hand to her heart.

"Who else were you expecting in this house?" He chuckled, and Abby just shook her head, flipping the stove off and sliding the eggs onto a plate. "You okay Abbs?" Gibbs placed his hands on her shoulders and literally felt the tension in her body.

"I'm fine," She said quietly, grabbing the plate and setting it on the table. He noticed it was set for one, along with his newspaper and glasses.

"Where's your plate?" He asked in confusion and she replied,

"I have to go back to my place, shower and change before I go in,"

Abby was past him and grabbing her coat before he could even blink. "Abby, wait," Gibbs called, jogging to catch up with her at the front door.

"What?" She asked, not looking at him.

"Abbs, look at me," He implored, gently touching her chin. She finally did and he saw the red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes she had been trying to hide from him. "You're not fine." Gibbs stated, and Abby stepped back from him.

"I was wrong to come here last night, okay? You made it quite clear what you wanted, and I didn't respect that and I'm sorry,"

Gibbs was startled and he demanded, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Gibbs, you can't tell me you don't remember," Abby scoffed, and Gibbs suddenly did remember what night Abby was talking about.

_It had been a tough month for the pair of them, Gibbs and Abby. They had been dating quietly for a good few months, but the past few weeks had been tough, with Gibbs' first ex-wife coming back to town and then Abby's ex-boyfriend Mikel dropping by for a few visits. Tension was humming between the two of them, and even Tony noticed._

"_Did you and Abby have a fight or something Boss?" Tony asked quietly before he went home, and Gibbs just looked at him._

"_No." He said finally, when DiNozzo made it clear he wasn't backing down, not about Abby. Tony looked at him for a long time and finally nodded, saying,_

"_Night, Boss,"_

_As Tony walked away and into the elevator, Gibbs stopped writing his reports and sighed, dropping his head into his hands. When he and Abby ended up sleeping together, in every sense of the phrase, one night, the natural progression in his mind was to ask her out on a proper date. They had been dating for a while now, and she was the happiest thing in his life._

_But lately, he had just begun to feel…different. He couldn't figure out why or for what reason, but he felt like he and Abby were drifting apart. Gibbs had always known she was out of his league, but for some strange reason she was with him. It never made sense in his mind, and now it was falling apart. Maybe she had finally figured out that he wasn't good enough for her, or maybe she had found someone that was more to her taste, more to her liking._

_It never made sense for her to love him, and yet she claimed she did, and still does._

_Without really realizing it, he got up and headed down to Abby's lab. When he stepped through the doorway she turned around, beaming at him. "I'm almost done, Gibbs, just give me a few minutes,"_

_Then she caught sight of his face and frowned. "What's wrong?"_

"_I-I'm not sure," He said hesitantly, and she raised her eyebrows._

"_Well, just spit it out,"_

"_Abby…what're we doing?" He finally asked, and she looked confused._

"_You mean we as in our relationship?" At his nod, she said, "I thought we were dating, were you under a different impression?"_

"_No, I mean, I guess I'm asking why."_

"_You're asking why we're in a relationship? I'd say you answered that question when you asked me out six months ago," Abby said quietly, and Gibbs opened his mouth, and then closed it._

"_Abbs, I think, I think maybe we need to take a break, or something,"_

"_A break," She repeated flatly, and he kept going, almost desperate to get his point across._

"_I don't think you really know what you want, and I think maybe a break will help you. Maybe what we're doing isn't the right thing, for you," He was close to babbling and he knew it._

"_For me." She repeated, and Gibbs began to feel a little scared by the look on her face and in her eyes._

"_There are no breaks in relationships!" Abby yelled, her hands fisted at her sides. Gibbs took a step back as she raged at him, saying, "You keep saying a break will help me, maybe this isn't right for me, well you want to know what I think? I think you are the one who's scared about being in a relationship at all! And perhaps you're right, perhaps this isn't the right thing, if you're second guessing everything we've ever had together then maybe this isn't right."_

"_I know it never made sense for you to love me, Abby, and I think you need to rethink that,"_

_And with that statement, Abby blew up, but in a silent and deadly way. She froze, her eyes cold as ice. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, get your ass out of my lab."_

"_Abby…" He started to say, his brows furrowed._

"_GET OUT!" She screamed, and Gibbs turned and strode out before she could throw something at him. The door slammed behind him and he could hear her sobbing as he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened._

"Abbs…" He said quietly, and Abby just shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Gibbs. You said what you felt; I can't fault you for that."

With that she stepped outside towards her car, and Gibbs watched her drive away, thinking to himself that he had just seriously messed up what could be his only chance to make things right with Abby.

Truth be told, he had done a lot of thinking since that night. He realized that he needed to stop questioning everything he had with Abby and just accept it, and he wished that he had thought about that before he went and blew everything to hell with her.

_Change the colors of the sky_

_And open up to_

_The ways you made me feel alive_

_The ways I loved you_

_All the things that never died_

_To make it through the night_

_Love will find you_

Gibbs dragged himself into NCIS that morning and almost immediately Tony came up to him, demanding, "What did you do?"

"What are you talking about DiNozzo?" Gibbs snapped, and Ziva came up, saying dangerously,

"What did you do to Abby?"

"I didn't do anything to her," Gibbs said roughly, shoving past them. McGee suddenly appeared in front of him, holding up a piece of paper.

"Then why did she resign from NCIS?"

Gibbs dropped his coffee mug and snatched the paper out of McGee's hands. He skimmed most of the words, and then he read 'I cannot continue to work at NCIS for personal and private reasons'. He noticed Abby's signature at the bottom and he turned on his heel and stalked up to Vance's office.

He just barged right past Vance's secretary and into his office, saying, "You can't accept this."

"Accept what?" Vance asked, and Gibbs slammed his hands down on Vance's desk, saying angrily,

"You know damn well what."

"Gibbs, Abby came to me this morning and handed it to me personally. There was nothing I could do." Vance stated, getting to his feet.

"Don't tell me you filed it."

"What else could I do?" Vance said evenly, and Gibbs swore before storming out of the room. He was an angry whirlwind all the way down to autopsy, and he strode in, looking for Ducky.

"Looking for Abigail?" Ducky asked, and Gibbs turned around, facing the doctor and asked,

"Duck, where'd she go?"

"You don't deserve to know, Jethro. You broke that poor girl's heart, and for that, I cannot forgive you."

"She deserved better, Duck! She still does," Gibbs said miserably, leaning against the wall.

"When you told her that you thought the two of you needed a break, she thought it was her fault. She's spent the past month blaming herself, trying to figure out what it was that she did wrong. When you said it didn't make sense for her to love you, she took it as a gentle letdown that you didn't love her. She doesn't understand that you think yourself too inferior for her because she sees you as too good for her." Ducky explained patiently, and Gibbs groaned.

"God I screwed this up,"

"Yes you did. And now you're going to make it right." Ducky said matter-of-factly, and handed him a plane ticket.

_What about now?_

_What about today?_

_What if you're making me_

_All that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love_

_Never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind_

_Words we could never find?  
Baby before it's too late_

_What about now?_

"What…?" Gibbs said, glancing down at the ticket in his hands.

"Your flight leaves in a few hours, I'd suggest getting to the airport ASAP because the security checks these days take forever. And don't you dare come home without our Abigail." Ducky instructed, and all but shoved Gibbs out of autopsy.

In the elevator, Gibbs read the ticket information and discovered it was taking him to New Orleans, Abby's birthplace. He nearly smacked the back of his own head because it was so obvious, he wondered why he didn't think of it earlier.

While Gibbs was boarding his plane, Abby was knocking on her brother's door…well her adopted brother's door. He opened it and grinned, saying, "Abby!" He hugged her tightly, and Abby fought back tears.

"Hey Luka," She said affectionately, but he heard the pain in her voice.

"What's wrong?" He asked in concern, leading her inside his apartment.

"It's just, there was this guy at church who needed a kidney transplant and I went to get tested and I'm a match, but so is this other guy and the lady that tested us asked me if I knew my brother was a match too and I was confused because I didn't think you knew this guy so that's when I called you and asked you about it and then I went back to the lady and she wouldn't tell me anything more but I tested the hair from my locket, you know, Mom's hair and I tried to match it to my DNA and it doesn't fit. I'm not her daughter, Luka, I'm adopted. I'm not your sister. I'm some stranger's sister."

**So this is the end of the first chapter, there's gonna be one more since this is a two-shot, and the song I'm using is "What About Now" by Daughtry, but I kinda like the version Westlife did better. Either way, it's the same song, and it's a great song. So will Gibbs get to Abby in time to change her mind? Or will someone else do that for him? Thanks for reading and I hope you like this story!**


	2. Baby Before It's Too Late

**Since we've never really met Luka in the series, I'm kinda going off on a limb here with his dialogue and characterization, but hopefully it seems plausible. This is the last chapter of this two-shot, and I hope you like it!**

**Enjoy!**

Abby broke down in tears and Luka took her in his arms, holding her tightly. "Abby, I honestly don't give a damn what these stupid tests say. You are my big sister, and nothing can change that."

His statement only made Abby cry harder but she managed to sob out, "I-I guess I knew that, b-but I just w-wanted to hear it f-from you,"

Luka gently stroked her hair and said, "I love you, Abby, and you are a Sciuto, you were raised one, no matter if you are by blood or not. Blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood. We are family. Not even a DNA test can change that."

Abby drew back and gripped his hands, saying, "Thank you, Luka. I love you too."

"Did you really think I was going to let you off the hook as my sister so easily?" He teased, wiping her tears away. "You spent the better part of our childhood denying I was your brother, calling me some sort of alien. After all that I am not letting you do it again. You're stuck with me, Abby, stuck like glue."

"Sounds good to me," Abby chuckled, and then she sighed.

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone back at NCIS no doubt hates me by now,"

"Why is that?" Luka asked as he pulled two bottles of Caf-Pow! out of his fridge.

"Because I resigned from NCIS before I flew down here. I already have the application filled out to become a forensic scientist in the New Orleans Crime Lab." Abby said, taking the bottle with a nod of thanks.

"You did what?!" Luka all but yelped, and Abby nodded, cracking the caffeinated drink open.

"I can't handle it with Gibbs anymore, Luka, and after I found everything out I didn't know where else to go so I went to his house and ended up falling asleep in his arms, and no not the way you think, nothing actually happened. The next morning he starts acting like nothing ever happened, like he never said what he said to me, and I pretty much told him off and then left. I can't work with him, Luka, I just can't. I love him so much it hurts, and I almost think I hate him just as much as that for what he said to me."

_The sun is breaking in your eyes_

_To start a new day_

_This broken heart can still survive_

_With a touch of your grace_

_Shadows fade into the light_

_I am by your side_

_Where love will find you_

Luka sighed as he sipped his red drink and replied, "I don't blame you, Abby, but did you even say goodbye to anyone?"

"No one. I was such a wreck after I left Gibbs' house this morning that I just booked a flight down here, handed my resignation to Vance and left some notes for Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky and Palmer. I had to get out of there before any of them came in and convinced me to stay." Abby said sadly, and Luke shook his head.

"That sucks, Abby. I can't think of any other way to put it."

They stood there in a comfortable silence for a long moment and then a knock came at the door. Luka looked confused as he went to answer it, and then he opened the door, seeing a group of people standing outside of his apartment.

"Tony!" Abby said in surprise, and he walked straight over to her, getting in her face and saying,

"Don't you ever do that again, all right? Resign and leave, I mean, I'll get to the 'nothing but a note' bit in a minute,"

"I'm sorry, Tony, but I just can't do it anymore," Abby admitted as Ziva, McGee, Ducky and Palmer walked in.

"Director Vance told me to tell you, Abby, that your resignation will not be accepted for 48 hours, and even then he'll be putting you down for the copious amounts of vacation time you have. He said, and I quote 'Abby is an invaluable asset and I won't lose her just because Agent Gibbs pulled some stupid move'." Ziva said, going up to the forensic scientist and hugging her. "Don't leave, Abby, we can deal with Gibbs together, but please, don't leave."

"How did you guys know it has anything to do with Gibbs?" Abby asked in confusion, and they all rolled their eyes.

"It was obvious, Abby. You two were dating, and then he said something stupid and you two broke up. Now both of you are miserable and hurting." Ducky said gently, walking over to Abby and taking her hand, squeezing.

"So what are you…" She trailed off and her eyes went wide. "Don't tell me you brought him with you."

_What about now?_

_What about today?_

_What if you're making me_

_All that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love_

_Never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind_

_Words we could never find?  
Baby before it's too late_

_What about now?_

"No, I simply gave him a plane ticket with the understanding that it would be stopping in Tennessee for a four hour layover." Ducky said with a smile, and Abby started laughing.

"And that understanding would be shared with Gibbs, right?"

"….maybe not." Ducky said with a chuckle and Abby grinned.

"That's awesome, Duck-Man,"

"So we have got all day to convince you to come back to NCIS," Palmer concluded, and Luka grinned.

"Good thing because I've got some studying to do. All of you, out!" He fake-commanded, and Abby kissed his cheek before taking Tony's arm and they all walked out, not really planning to do anything but walk around and maybe catch a movie or something.

_Now that you're here_

_Now that we've come this far_

_Just hold on_

_There is nothing to fear_

_For I am right beside you_

_For all my life_

_I am yours_

It wasn't until that night that Gibbs' plane finally touched down in New Orleans. He was seething about the ticket; he would definitely be speaking to Ducky about that layover in Tennessee that he failed to mention. Then engine trouble brought the plane down in Alabama and eventually Gibbs made it to Louisiana.

He rented a car and tore down the road, headed straight for Abby's brother's apartment building. It began to pour just as he pulled into the parking lot and he hurried up to the second floor. He knocked on the door and Luka opened the door. "Agent Gibbs…" Luke started to say and Gibbs begged,

"I know I don't deserve to know but please, tell me where she is."

"She went to the graveyard down the street, to visit our parents' graves." Luka said quietly, and shut the door. Gibbs could see the graveyard from where he stood so he just took off jogging instead of bothering to take his rental car.

Abby was standing in front of a double headstone as Gibbs ran towards her. "Abby!" He yelled, and she turned around, startled. She recognized Gibbs and gratefully fell into his arms when he reached for her. He dipped his head and kissed her fiercely, startling her even more.

"Gibbs…" She said quietly, breaking the kiss.

"I'm sorry, Abby, I am so sorry. I was a jerk, an idiot, a pompous ass, all of the above and more. I had been brooding that night, Abbs, and I wondered why you, a beautiful and vibrant young woman was dating an old Marine like me, and I-"

Abby cut him off, saying exasperatedly, "That was what you were trying to say that night? For God's sake, Gibbs, if I wanted someone different, I would be with someone different. I actually was brooding too, though, and I was trying to figure out what it was you saw in me,"

"I see the only girl in the entire world that can make me smile the way you do. I see the girl that I love." Gibbs said gently, keeping his arms wrapped around her.

_What about now?_

_What about today?_

_What if you're making me_

_All that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love_

_Never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind_

_Words we could never find?_

She smiled and said in a quiet voice, "I guess we both second-guessed ourselves. I loved you, Gibbs, and I wanted you. I still love you, and I still want you."

Gibbs was quiet for a long moment and then gently wiped the rain off of Abby's face. "I'm so sorry, Abby,"

"Why do you keep apologizing? You never apologize, Gibbs, to anyone,"

"You're the only exception, Abbs," Gibbs said in a whisper, and Abby smiled. "I love you too," He added, and she stretched up to kiss him.

"Promise me you'll stop second-guessing yourself," Abby begged, and Gibbs nodded, gently touching the tip of her nose and saying,

"Promise me you'll do the same," He countered, and she nodded, sealing the deal with a kiss. They ended up linking hands as they walked back to Luka's apartment.

"I'm not going home without you, Abbs," Gibbs informed her at the door, pressing his forehead against hers. She grinned and said,

"Don't worry, Gibbs, I'll make sure Vance knows he can take me off of vacation time," He furrowed his brows in confusion and she laughed. "Did you really think he filed my resignation letter? According to Ziva he was withholding it for 48 hours,"

"Ziva?" Gibbs was absolutely confused now.

"Ducky gave you a ticket with that layover on purpose to give Tony, Ziva, Ducky, Palmer and McGee time to get here before you. I've been hanging with them all day and they already had me convince to come back to NCIS. I knew you were coming, but I didn't expect you until later." Abby explained, and Gibbs sighed, shaking his head.

_What about now?_

_What about today?_

_What if you're making me_

_All that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love_

_Never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind_

_Words we could never find?  
Baby before it's too late_

_Baby before it's too late_

A few days later, Abby had shown Gibbs all around her hometown, and then they boarded a plane back to Washington DC. Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky and Palmer had left the day they had come, because NCIS couldn't be without all of them for longer than a day or so.

Gibbs kept his hand linked with Abby's as she slept on the plane, and he watched her sleep for a few moments before falling asleep himself. It scared him to think how close he had come to losing Abby, and he swore he wouldn't let that happen ever again.

After the plane had landed, Abby insisted on going to NCIS first to tell Vance she'd report to work bright and early the next morning. When they stepped into the elevator, Abby wrapped her arms around Gibbs and kissed him. "I love you," He murmured, and she smiled brightly at him.

"Love you too,"

As the doors opened, Abby made to draw her hand out of Gibbs', knowing that he didn't like PDA in the office. Instead he tightened his grip and walked out, not letting go of Abby's hand. Tony, Ziva and McGee stood up when they walked in and Tony called,

"Hey Abbs,"

"Hey Tony," She called back with a beaming smile on her face. Gibbs went upstairs to Vance's office with her and didn't bother knocking.

"She's not resigning," Gibbs told Vance flat out, and Vance looked at their joined hands and smiled.

"I figured as much. Well, would you like to continue with your vacation days, Miss Sciuto, or would you rather come back to work tomorrow?"

"Oh no, Director, I'll be back to work tomorrow," She assured him, and Vance nodded before pulling her resignation letter out and tossing it in the fireplace.

"I do have one request," He said, facing the couple.

"Which is?" Gibbs asked, and Vance requested,

"Don't make me tell you two to get a room,"

"Yes sir!" Abby said with a mischievous grin, pulling Gibbs out of Vance's office. "He never said anything about when he's not around," She said slyly, wrapping her arms around his waist as they stepped into the elevator that would take them back downstairs.

"You are going to be the death of me," He groaned as she kissed his chest.

"Maybe. But at least we'll both die happy," She said with a grin before kissing him.

_Baby before it's too late_

_What about now?_

**The end! Thank you so much for reading this two-shot, and I hope you liked it! Yes, I most definitely ship Gibbs/Abby romantically, I think they're so cute together, and I loved how he protected her in the season finale, I'm writing a story about that called 'Better Than I Know Myself'. Shameless plug, I know haha. Thanks again for reading!**


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